24 March 2009

Picture the scene: two ladies, one walking a small child who looked as if she'd rather be in the pram - the other lady is pushing Pooh. Clever Pooh. I laughed and asked if I could take a photograph. They laughed too and said 'yes.'

“You can't help respecting anybody who can spell TUESDAY, even if he doesn't spell it right; but spelling isn't everything. There are days when spelling Tuesday simply doesn't count.”Winnie the Pooh - A.A.Milne

Today's post is for my best buddy, Candy, who teaches at Otterbein, a small liberal arts college in Ohio. Candy teaches a course called The Dilemma of Existence.

She writes: "The course goes from Greek Tragedy (Antigone), Dante's Inferno, Hamlet, Candide, The Maltese Falcon, The Skin of Our Teeth, and all the way to Winnie-The-Pooh. Which is, of course, the book the students all like best. Though when they first see the syllabus, they're like: we're reading a kid's book? Then they find out that Pooh is not only a Very Good book for College Students of Very Little Brain to read, it reminds them of what's really important--like friendship, and enjoying the little things in life. He's not such a silly ol' Bear after all! He's a very wise bear, indeed. And it's fun! After a dreary slog through the miz'ries of existence, I reckon we need a palate cleanser! Pooh Sorbet.... "

LOL on the Pooh in stroller!I want to take your friend's course; and thx the reminder of what the silly ol' bear stands for.I spent many an hour watching Pooh videos (they were actually well done) and listening to Pooh songs - I kind of miss it now.

I still have my copy of the "World of Pooh," a book containing both "Winnie the Pooh" and "World of Pooh" from my childhood. The printing date on my copy is 1957. My mother read to me from this book and I read from it to my younger sisters and brother.

I regularly take this copy off the bookshelf and read a chapter -- or the whole thing in one sitting.